Bob Murphy returned Jock McHale Medal, says Luke Beveridge

Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has revealed that captain Bob Murphy returned the coach’s medal and that it will now reside in the club’s museum as “a symbol of the camaraderie that Murphy had fostered”.

Beveridge provided the most tear-jerking moment of Saturday’s grand final when he called the injured Murphy up onto the podium and presented him with the Jock McHale Medal, which is presented to the coach of the premiers each season.

The premiership-winning coach took the opportunity at the club’s best and fairest ceremony to tell the club’s faithful of Murphy’s selflessness.

“I put him in a difficult situation (on Saturday) but he deserved recognition,” Beveridge said at the Sutton Medal event.

“He returned the Jock McHale Medal, he gave it back to me on Sunday morning,” Beveridge added.

“He said he couldn’t keep it but he thanked me for the gesture.”

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“The medal will go in the Western Bulldogs museum as a symbol of the camaraderie and respect that Bob fostered over his career at the Western Bulldogs,” Beveridge said before joining in the widespread applause for the club’s captain.

It wasn’t all praise for Murphy though, with Beveridge joking earlier in his speech that the season had aged the captain and added lines to his face.